Discover the Vatican State: Vatican Gardens tour by minibus. Admire St. Peter's Basilica and the masterpieces of Bernini and Michelangelo with a local guide.

About this activity

Free cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund
Covid-19 precautions: Special health and safety measures apply. Learn more
Reserve now & pay later: Reserve now & pay later to book your spot without any charges today. Learn more
Duration 3 hours: Check availability to see starting times.
Live tour guide: English, French, Spanish, Italian, German
Audio guide included: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian

Highlights

Gaze upon Michelangelo's Pietà
Marvel at the lavishly decorated interior of the Basilica
Hear stories about baroque sculptor and architect Bernini
Discover the most important Basilica with the exclusive visit
Admire the wonderful Vatican Gardens onboard an open bus

Full description

Start your visit with an audio-guided tour of the Vatican Gardens with insightful commentary on an open bus. See the highlights including the Vatican Radio, the Academy of Sciences, the Apostolic Residence, and the Vatican Government Palace.

Experience the floral glamor of the Gardens while admiring the fountains and sculptures of the Baroque and Renaissance eras. After the Vatican Gardens, discover the iconic St. Peter Basilica with our local guide.

Admire the masterpieces like Michelangelo's Pietà, the statue of St Peter, visit the tomb of Pope John Paul II and stare in wonder at Bernini’s Baldacchino, the elaborate canopy alter that sits above St Peter’s tomb.

Includes

Vatican Gardens tour by minibus
Multilingual audio guides (mini bus tour)
St. Peter's Basilica tour
Live guide (St. Peter's Basilica tour)

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Entrance to St. Peter's Dome
Life guide at the Vatican Gardens

Not suitable for

People with mobility impairments
Wheelchair users

Covid-19 precautions

Safety measures in place

All areas that customers touch are frequently cleaned
The number of visitors is limited to reduce crowds

Traveler requirements

You are required to bring and wear a mask
You will receive a mandatory temperature check
All participants are required to bring and wear FFP2 masks. Blue surgical masks will not be accepted

Meeting point

Meet your guide at the Touristation Office just outside the entrance to the Vatican Museums.

Open in Google Maps ⟶

Important information

Not allowed

Shorts
Luggage or large bags
Short skirts
Sleeveless shirts

Know before you go

This tour involves long periods of standing with a lot of walking and is not recommended for people with limited mobility
This tour is not allowed for children under 6 years old. For safety reasons, it is not possible to get on the minibus for the Vatican Gardens
For operational reasons, there may be a break between the Vatican Gardens minibus tour and the guided tour at the St. Peter's Basilica
The duration of the open bus tour is about 45 minutes
Please note that the visit takes place in two different locations, plan your time

Customer reviews

Overall rating

3.8 /5

based on 13 reviews

Sort by:

At the tourist station they were very friendly, but wanted to give us the Vatican Gardens and a guided tour of St. Peter's Basilica on 2 different days, which is not in the description. After driving through the Vatican Gardens, one could have walked through the garden independently. We couldn't do that due to time constraints, which is a pity. The time window until the tour in St. Peter's Basilica to the Vatican Gardens was extremely tight. We had to rush quite a bit and luckily the line to the checkpoint wasn't so long that we just made it. 1 hour between the gardens and the guided tour through St. Peter's Basilica is far too short and was only manageable with great luck/rushing. It should be written in the offer that for scheduling it is better to schedule both in two days or in the morning and later in the afternoon. You have to walk everywhere alone and don't have a guide to show you the way. In addition, there is no preferential entry, you have to wait in

April 14, 2022

We really liked it. We were even able to book the Vatican Museums on site for 10 euros. It should be mentioned that the tour of St. Peter's Basilica does not follow the tour of the Vatican. Gardens takes place, the date for the tour is only agreed on site at the tourist office. That messed up our schedule a bit.

March 20, 2022

Very informative, a little too long waiting times.

May 8, 2022

Rome: Vatican Gardens & Guided Tour of St. Peter's Basilica

Rome: Vatican Gardens & Guided Tour of St. Peter's Basilica

About this activity

Experience

Select participants and date

Overall rating

Sort by:

Traveler type:

Star rating: